Beyond the Seasons

Seasonal celebration themes are such a strong focus within the magical and pagans worldview that it can be difficult to see beyond them. I don’t mean to ignore the seasons instead what I am asking is, what is beyond the celebration seasonal cycle? The Seasons are an excellent place to start when you first begin your magical study but having started there it is important to remember that they are not the bee all and end of magical practice.

This year I have found it very odd that it is currently spring here in New Zealand, I am in a bit of a confused state. This I believe, is because I spend a month in Canada at the end of July and beginning of August. While I was in Canada I felt that moment when the season turned from summer to autumn and so I have been a bit discombobulated so to speak. This in turn has caused me to wonder when it comes to magic and magical work, what is beyond the seasons? How do we deepen out understanding of this magic that we work with? I don’t believe that it is possible to work without the seasons because we do live in this world, in this place. But what is beyond the general understanding of the seasons

Having live my life in New Zealand and the last 15 years in Wellington I believe I understand quite deeply how the seasons interact and move with this landscape that l live in. I have also explored and understood the societal seasons, which are similar but also not the same. For example tax year ending and starting, the election cycle, and various other stimuli that will affect the spirit of a city such as Wellington. There is also the obvious combinations such as the build-up to Christmas, which is for us, during the summer, followed by easter which is during our autumn. And our winter which I have taken to calling the long dark, not so much because there is less daylight but more so because during the hard winter months there is no public holidays to look forward to. From the beginning of June until the end of October there are no public holidays.. Near enough to 5 months of the winter season, our coldest darkest time, with nothing in the way of public holidays or celebrations to look forward to.

And I have spend much time playing with and in a sense coming to peace with the northern hemisphere seasonal holidays that have been imported wholesale to New Zealand without seasonal considerations. Oddly enough, they work or can work for the plucky observant witch or magical worker. For instance, it is Beltane here in New Zealand, that time between spring and summer. And over the years Halloween has been introduced from North American along with a fair amount of expat Americans and Canadians, who like to celebrate that touch of home. Halloween as I have learnt is the beginning of what is called in Northern America the holiday season. Samhain and Beltane are at both ends of the spectrum of life for me, and I have found that the veil that everyone talks about, is thin during both seasons. But for Beltane it is about bringing things forward, or birthing from the spirit world, where as Samhain is about Ancestors who essentially inhabit the spirit world. or that is how I have felt and worked with it without going into more explanation because really it is difficult to explain. And Halloween, that is about dressing up in costumes, having fun and learning to face that which scares you.

Beyond the seasonal correspondences, themes and thoughts is a tide of magical underpinning that can be very subtle, and very difficult to put into words. But for me it is about movement, and moving, the ebb and flow, or if you like growth and deepening of your understanding and connections with the world of spirit, and divine. And the harder it is, this understanding of the magical beyond the season, the harder can be to put into words, so instead I create art.

I create doorways in the forms of fabric wall hangings that depict magical things, such as Gods and Goddesses, from which you can invite that magical underpinning and magic through, which can then fit your own framework and understanding of how the magic works.

It is said that if you open the doorway, the invited come through and if you don’t then the wall hangings will remain inert but also sacred art. It makes sense that the ones who have gods and goddesses sewn into them will invite those gods and goddesses. I should not have to say be careful here right?

So how do you reach beyond the seasons and into the tides and magic in the spirit worlds?

Greetings!!…You are being nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award: I nominate you for your creativity; for your art; your photographs; your writing style; and your beautiful spirit…I understand if you don’t have the time or inclination to accept this award, but know that you are deserving of it in every way– Your blog shines bright!!